Published

9 months ago

on

September 3, 2019

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The man who fatally shot seven people while wounding 25 more in Odessa, Texas over the weekend reportedly obtained his weapon by taking advantage of a key loophole that Republican lawmakers have steadfastly refused to close.

Law enforcement sources tell ABC News’ Matt Gutman that the shooter bought his AR-15-style rifle through a private sale, which meant he did not have to undergo a federal background check.

Previously, law enforcement officials investigating the shooting said that the shooter had actually failed to pass a federal background check, although they did not elaborate on how he got his weapon.

Gun control advocates have long wanted to extend mandating federal background checks for all sales of weapons, including private sales at gun shows or sales between individuals. So far, however, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has not endorsed any specific measures to strengthen background checks or reduce the availability of deadly weapons.

While many individual states do require background checks for private gun sales, many conservative states, including Texas, do not.

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House Democrats earlier this year passed legislation that closed the so-called “gun show loophole” by requiring background checks on all sales of firearms, but so far McConnell has refused to take it up.

As @marykbruce reminds me the legislation that would close this loophole and require background checks on all gun sales, including those purchased in private sales has passed the house. But it has been sitting on @senatemajldr desk since February. @ABChttps://t.co/7ieM68siij

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The ongoing feud between the black woman leading Washington, DC and the white man inside the White House was the focus of an in-depth Washington Postreport published Saturday evening.

"The response has been emphatic. Since Trump’s personal attack on May 30, Bowser has fought back fiercely against the president’s bullying, taunting him with tweets and criticisms of her own. On Friday, she rebuked him with a defiant display of street art in which she sought to draw a clear contrast with Trump’s calls for 'law and order' by demonstrating active support for peaceful protesters of the Black Lives Matter movement," the newspaper reported.